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Off to Morocco soon with my M4-2. Would like to take some colour print film [usually a B&W film shooter] and from the images I have seen on the internet, I have shortlisted Ektar. Are there any similar films out there I should also consider?

And does anyone know Kodaks www address for camera film/chemicals etc..? I can't seem to find anything other than motion picture film!

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Off to Morocco soon with my M4-2. Would like to take some colour print film [usually a B&W film shooter] and from the images I have seen on the internet, I have shortlisted Ektar. Are there any similar films out there I should also consider?

And does anyone know Kodaks www address for camera film/chemicals etc..? I can't seem to find anything other than motion picture film!

Cheers, Julian

I like Lomo 100 Color film. It has the vibrant colors of Ektar 100 but has its own subtle tones that work well for a colorful place like Morocco. As an added bonus, it’s 1/3 the price of Ektar.

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Kodak Ektar would be my first choice: satisfying color, very sharp, little to no grain, not particularly hard to get processed and printed.

CineStill 50D would be next, and the colors are vividly pleasant, but it's finicky to use (i.e., you MUST have absolutely no light leaks when loading, and there will be some halation).

I've also been impressed recently with AGFA CT Precisa 100. It yields fine color, though much like the late departed Fuji Reala there is a bluish tint to foliage.

I would put the Lomo 100 at the bottom as I'm never certain how color will be rendered with that film--might want to commit yourself to shooting a roll or part of one before the trip to see if you like it.

You asked about print films instead of color reversal, but I think few would disagree that a couple of rolls of Velvia 50 would certainly fill the bill.

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I discounted slide film because I’d like to have the opportunity to shoot with Sunny16 sometimes so a film that required careful exposure is not ideal. I have looked at Lomo 100 and whilst some samples I really liked, a sizeable proportion had colour casts, particularly to the cold side which I am not a fan of, preferring to err towards warmer colours. Does this sound right for this film?

I hadn’t considered Cinestill. I will try it at some point I am sure but probably not for this trip. Whilst I would prefer the 160 offered by Portra, I like the idea of maximising the Moroccan colours. :-)

What is the exposure latitude like on Ektar and is anyone able to give me a link to the Kodak film website please? Further suggestions gratefully received.

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Of all these films, Portra 400 probably has the widest exposure latitude. It handles overexposure very well, and some under exposure. And it will give you more vibrant colors than the 160 Portra. Not as vivid as the Ektar, but it does a better job with skin tones, I think.

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The difficulty with iso400 is too much speed. With a maximum of 1000th to play with, in Morocco I wil likely end up with many exposures at 500th f16 without much scope for creativity! Interesting that the colours are stronger than 160 though, I would not have expected that. Cheers.

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I discounted slide film because I’d like to have the opportunity to shoot with Sunny16 sometimes so a film that required careful exposure is not ideal.

What is the exposure latitude like on Ektar and is anyone able to give me a link to the Kodak film website please? Further suggestions gratefully received.

In my experience, Ektar isn't the most forgiving of C41 films when it comes to exposure latitude – in fact, many users recommend treating it as if it is a slide film. I would also caution against using Ektar if you haven't already used it a few times because the colour palette (especially skin tones) isn't to everyone's taste. I suggest that you don't discount Portra 400 quite yet. It can be overexposed quite successfully (many do it routinely) and, if you are concerned about having to stop down, a 3 stop ND filter on your lens can solve that.

One film you might want to investigate is a Kodak film labelled something like Pro 100. As far as I know it is (or was) marketed in Asia and looks like a variation of Kodak Gold. There's a photographer over on RFF who uses it (IMO very successfully) to photograph Cambodia and other Asian countries. If it's still available, eBay will presumably be your friend.

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Like Ian says, it's possible to overexpose Portra 400 with good results. I routinely shoot all my C41 1-2 stops over to gain extra detail in the shadows and make the film easier to scan. I know some oppose this but it's worked very well for me for a number of years.

The difficulty with iso400 is too much speed. With a maximum of 1000th to play with, in Morocco I wil likely end up with many exposures at 500th f16 without much scope for creativity! Interesting that the colours are stronger than 160 though, I would not have expected that. Cheers.

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I shoot Portra 400 all year all over the globe... I rate it at ISO 200...

Kodak Portra 160 I rate as ISO 50 or ISO 80...

The photos are all taken with the Leica R8, so I have a snappy shutter at my disposal with a short speed of 1/8000th. But to be honest I rarely need to go above 1/1000 with shooting Portra 400 at 200 or 160 at 80.

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In my experience, Ektar isn't the most forgiving of C41 films when it comes to exposure latitude – in fact, many users recommend treating it as if it is a slide film. I would also caution against using Ektar if you haven't already used it a few times because the colour palette (especially skin tones) isn't to everyone's taste. I suggest that you don't discount Portra 400 quite yet. It can be overexposed quite successfully (many do it routinely) and, if you are concerned about having to stop down, a 3 stop ND filter on your lens can solve that.

One film you might want to investigate is a Kodak film labelled something like Pro 100. As far as I know it is (or was) marketed in Asia and looks like a variation of Kodak Gold. There's a photographer over on RFF who uses it (IMO very successfully) to photograph Cambodia and other Asian countries. If it's still available, eBay will presumably be your friend.

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Cinestill 50D has been mentioned a couple of times I love the way Cinestill looks but the major disadvantages to it are a relatively short shelf life of the unexposed film, and the developed negatives are not guaranteed to last for more than 5 years.

I am very tempted my Portra 400 and ND or pulling. Both great ideas considering the lesser latitude from Ektar. I will try to get a roll before I go away to test it. If I pull to 100 [and process appropriately], will it still have the flexibility of the wide latitude or will I loose that? If so, ND filter may be a better option.

And thanks for the link too Allan, I could get to that via google! Great news on TMax P3200 too!

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If I pull to 100 [and process appropriately], will it still have the flexibility of the wide latitude or will I loose that? If so, ND filter may be a better option.

Julian, just to be clear, the common practice of shooting Portra at ISO 200 or 100 isn't pulling in the conventional sense (i.e. overexposing and using a compensating development time) but simply overexposing. You do of course lose some of the latitude (in the sense of allowing for exposure error) because you won't want to overexpose much more than you will already be doing. Shooting at ISO 200 or 100 instead of box speed will also shift the colours but many users like the result.

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Correction - I decided to buy a few 5-packs myself, but the shopping cart limited me to the one pack they have left. So if anyone wants 5 rolls of ProImage, then (as I write this) Macodirekt have just that.